Speak Now
by XxFearTheFluffxX
Summary: The funny thing about weddings is that when the line "Speak now or forever hold your peace" is said, everyone is expected to hold their peace. But then again, the groom is also expected to be marrying the right girl. - NejixTenten -
1. Chapter 1

**This story is loosely (_very_ loosely) based on Taylor Swift's song 'Speak Now', and was written as a fun little multi-chap while I mull over some of my bigger projects. It's NejixTenten and really quite cheesy/cliché in my opinion, but sometimes it's good relax the creative muscle with a bit of pure, unadulterated fluff now and then. Enjoy, and the next chapter will be making it's way to you soon (so please, no pointless reviews asking for updates – they really annoy me).**

-X-

She wasn't naïve.

At least, she didn't like to think so.

Tenten had known all along, since the very beginning, that someone as beautiful and talented and elegant and... and just plain _amazing _as Hyuuga Neji, could never be meant for her. She was too ordinary. A run-of-the-mill kunoichi at best. She was skilled, yes – she wouldn't sell herself short – but not in a particularly remarkable way. Not in a way that made her anything _close_ to Neji's equal.

Unlike Hyuuga Kaminari – his gorgeous bride-to-be.

Kaminari, a Lady of the Hyuuga's main branch, was everything Tenten wished she could be and more; a young woman so superior that even the most confident girls were driven to tears by their own mediocrity. Compared to such a flawless creature, what chance did someone as plain as Tenten stand? For her to even _dream_ she could hold a candle to the magnificence that was Kaminari was insolence of the highest order (something the Lady had been so kind as to point out – on several consecutive occasions).

_So why? _Tenten asked herself despairingly. She watched silently as guests of varying social status passed by her hiding spot with nary a sideways glance, talking to each other in excited 'wedding' voices about things that made her sick to dwell on. _Why am I here? Why am I torturing myself like this?_

Were she so inclined, she could tell herself it was because Neji had invited her. Whatever her personal feelings on the matter, he was – and always would be – her team mate first and foremost. It was only right she was there, she reasoned. They'd been friends for a long time; it was only right for her to support him on his big day...

Even if Little-Miss-Perfect _had_ retracted the invitation behind his back.

But deep in her heart, buried beneath years of ingrained honour and propriety, Tenten knew this wasn't true. She couldn't support Neji in this, no matter how desperately she wanted to – and she _did _want to, more than anything. Tenten wanted to be the best friend he needed; the best friend he _deserved_. But she couldn't. She just couldn't. It was too hard. He was going to pledge himself to another girl, the _wrong_ girl, and it was too excruciating to watch. Tenten was a lot of things – not all of them things she was proud of – but a masochist wasn't one of them.

She had to see him. She had to tell him everything. There were so many things Tenten wanted him to know, things she might have told him sooner if not for fear of destroying the friendship they shared. Now that she faced losing him anyway, it seemed that revealing her secret was the only other option.

The question was, would it make any difference? Would her revelation be enough to drive him to defy his uncle and clan leader? It was obvious Neji wasn't happy with the arranged marriage Hiashi had put forth, but he was very much a man of obligation. Unless extremely extenuating circumstances presented themselves, Neji would likely do whatever he was told regardless of his own feelings on the matter.

"Tenten?"

She jumped at hearing her name called, the familiar voice full of loathsome pity. Reluctantly, she raised her head.

Lee, her long-time friend and team mate, stared back at her, open smile in place albeit tinged with some sadness. Looking unusually suave dressed in his formal tuxedo, he was flanked on either side by a group of their comrades, each kitted out in similarly smart attire, all wearing matching looks of sympathy which made Tenten's sense of pride chafe. But none of those commiserative expressions cut as deeply as that of the shy Hinata – notwithstanding the flowing lilac dress and the hand twinned tightly with Naruto's, she reminded Tenten so much of her older cousin.

"Lee!" she greeted, plastering a fake smile on her lips and nodding pleasantly to the others. "Guys. How's everyone doing?"

There was a chorus of muttered 'fine's and 'okay's, but Tenten could tell their answers were forced.

"I am glad you decided to come, Tenten. This is an important day for Neji," Lee nodded sagely, his words gentle and heartfelt, as though offering her encouragement. He had no idea the reason she was here – had no clue that her presence could very well ruin the wedding they'd all come to see.

Tenten's fake grin cracked a little. "I know." she agreed seriously. _One way or another, this _will_ be an important day for him. For me too._

Now Lee wasn't the most perceptive of people, but the knowing look he gave her then could not be mistaken. It was probably only because he'd known her so long – the idea of him suddenly becoming observant was laughable – but in a sudden flash of absolute clarity, Tenten realised that Lee _did _know what she was going to do. And for the first time she understood that she and Neji weren't the only ones who'd be affected by the possible consequences of her actions this day.

"I was just going to see him actually," she said quietly, by way of excusing herself from the group, internally cringing when she saw the glint of sorrow in Lee's eyes. "To... to wish him luck. Save me a seat, would you Lee?"

And without waiting for a reply – for any reply she received would only make things worse – she spun and stalked in the direction she knew the groom's quarters to be in. Had she glanced back she would have seen Sakura, one of the more sensitive members of their little group, try to follow after her – to call some sort of warning. She would have also seen Lee bar her way with his arm and shake his head sadly. And since she was out of earshot, Tenten didn't hear his words to the pinkette as she rounded the corner in the distance.

"Let her go. This is something she must do."

But for all those details she missed, she could feel their heavy stares on her back, full of suffocating, intolerable pity. And she knew without a doubt that this... this whatever it was, had to end today. She could no longer stand the shame.

-X-


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews on the last chapter – I wasn't expecting nearly as many!**

**However, I'd like to point out to the anonymous reviewer who calls themselves 'Reina' that I did say the story was going to be cliché. This is only a _little _multi-chap story, something to keep me in the habit of writing while I iron out the details in some of my other ideas. It's not going to be big enough to have that kind of development in it. Sorry. But your idea sounds interesting, so why don't you have a bash at writing it?**

-X-

She found Neji's rooms easily enough and entered without knocking, silent as a ghost. She couldn't let herself pause, she knew – if she paused, she would think; if she thought, she might change her mind. She couldn't allow herself time to reconsider, not if she ever wanted closure. One way or the other, Tenten was determined to resolve things _tonight_. Neji would either accept her confession and they would live what passed as a 'happy' life in the shinobi world (much as it stung to accept, this outcome was extremely unlikely), or he would reject her and she would take the necessary steps to move on with her life.

Even if that meant cutting everyone else out of it.

Her heart jumped when she saw him sitting there, slumped in a chair with his head held wearily in his hands. His silky black hair was loose, falling about his strong shoulders in a raven waterfall, obscuring his face from view. Tenten couldn't help but note how smart he looked in his formal attire, how well his lean form carried the fancy clothes – it was a strange sight, given that he normally wore battle-ready clothes only, but a welcome one. At her careful approach he looked up, and she could swear her throat closed when she met his intelligent, milky gaze. He was so handsome... so perfect. How could she hope to win a creature as glorious as he?

And then he smiled. A true, sincerely pleased smile, meant just for her and no one else. Despite the gravity of all she had to tell him, despite the worrying knowledge of what could happen if her plans went awry, Tenten found herself smiling back. She wanted him to smile at her like that every day, like he was genuinely happy because she was there. Like her existence was something precious, something he couldn't live without.

And then she thought about what it would do to him if she had to leave, if he went ahead and married Kaminari and left her with no other options. It made her chest constrict and her eyes fill close to spilling; whether he felt for her the way she felt for him or not, it would crush him to lose her. Tenten had been one of Neji's closest friends for a long, long time, and if she were to leave it would cut him deeply. The thought of wounding him that way... it was enough to make her feel dizzy with self-loathing.

But staying was worse, _far_ worse, than going. If she stayed she could never move on. If she stayed she could never make herself forget him.

Never.

"I'm glad you're here, Tenten." he greeted her, snapping her back to the here and now. "I thought for a while there... I thought you wouldn't come."

"Of course I came, Neji. How could I not?" Tenten's words were warm but her body language told a different story – she was standing awkwardly by the door, in case she had to make a quick getaway, her arms folded across her silk-wrapped body protectively. Neji raised an eyebrow at her obviously uneasy posture – nothing went unnoticed before _his_ eye – but didn't pass comment. "Although I think Kaminari would prefer it if I'd stayed away." she added wryly to break the heavy silence, her mouth twisting in real amusement at the memory of the Hyuuga Lady's 'advice' – aka threat.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"She – ah – _uninvited _me last week." Tenten elaborated. She saw Neji's expression darken with the revelation, and some part of her rejoiced in his noticeable annoyance with his soon-to-be wife. She doubted it would hold much weight in the grand scheme of things, but it sure _felt_ good.

"That woman," he murmured bitterly. It seemed for a moment that he wanted to say more, but after a few seconds he appeared to let it go and his mouth remained firmly shut. He'd probably decided it wasn't a good idea to badmouth his wife before they were even married.

"So, Neji..." Tenten begun, gathering her courage about her, deciding that if she was going to do it she would have to do it quick, before her nerve crumbled. "There's something I wanted to-,"

"Neji! It is time for the ceremony to start, my nephew." Lord Hiashi's authoritative voice interrupted, and an instant later he entered the room behind them. His eyes, so like Neji's and yet so _not_, lingered suspiciously on Tenten, who as always shied away from his penetrating scrutiny like a mouse cowering from a hawk. "Why are _you_ here? The other guests are already seated."

"She was just coming to wish me luck, Uncle. Isn't that right Tenten?"

Neji's deepening frown revealed he was less than pleased by his uncle's appearance. There were a lot of things about his uncle Neji was less than pleased about these days, chief of which was his sudden overwhelming interest in Neji's personal life. Tenten had a suspicion that part of the reason Neji was voicing no objections to marrying Kaminari, was simply that he wanted Hiashi to get off his back about it.

But that was neither here nor there.

Under the full, crippling force of the Hyuuga Lord's inspection, Tenten had not the guts to disagree. It was one thing to tell Neji alone, but quite another to have to say it in front of his scary uncle – who, she was sure, would not take it with much good humour. Unable to find her voice, she simply nodded, a lead ball settling in her stomach as she slowly began to come to terms with her failure.

"Well then hurry along." Hiashi said impatiently, making a shooing gesture that would have mortally offended Tenten coming from anyone else. As it was, she was too preoccupied to spare it much thought.

Feeling slightly nauseous, Tenten turned to leave. But before she could disappear – and she planned to do _exactly_ that – Neji called after her. "You'll be at the reception won't you? I'd like a chance to see you before the... the honeymoon."

Bile rising, Tenten glanced back at him, false smile firmly in place even though the word 'honeymoon' made her want to hurl herself off a building. "Of course I will. And good luck."

She'd blown it. She'd missed her chance. In the end nothing had changed because she'd wasted valuable time – _years_ of it. So now it was finished; the story of she and Neji (and Team Gai too) was at it's end.

_It's over, _she thought somewhat numbly. _I messed it up._

_It... it's probably for the best._

She could only hope that was the case.

-X-


	3. Chapter 3

-X-

Lee, faithful as always, had saved her a seat like she'd asked him to. He didn't question her as she sank into the collapsible metal chair beside him, and for that Tenten was grateful. She didn't think she had it in her to speak just yet. Instead she looked about herself, noting with some bitterness that she actually had a pretty good view of the front. Talk about rubbing salt into the wound...

She was sitting next to the aisle, on the right hand side of a hall as lavish as it was large. Around her were many faces she recognised, and quite a few more she didn't. Everyone was all dressed up in their finest, chattering excitedly amongst themselves, all feeling _honoured _to be a guest at what would likely be the wedding of the year. The Hyuuga clan's most prized shinobi and their most beautiful Lady aristocrat – a union which would not only close the gap between the branch and main families, but which was expected to produce nothing short of the most exceptional offspring the clan had ever seen. Phrases like 'the perfect match' and ' made for each other' were bandied about like it was nothing, no one ever realising that right there, in their very midst, a young and aspiring weapon's mistress was slowly dying inside.

And then, quite suddenly to Tenten's distracted mind, the wedding started. Neji stood at the front beside his uncle, who as clan leader was to conduct the ceremony, and behind them the doors were thrown wide, revealing the most unfairly exquisite woman Tenten had ever laid eyes upon. Her hair was black as midnight, sleek and shiny as it tumbled down her back like an ebony waterfall. Her eyes were typical of any Hyuuga's – opaque and tinged lilac if looked at from a certain angle. But they held a fierce sparkle in their depths, a sparkle that said 'I know what I want and I know how to get it'. That ferocity was mirrored in the rest of her face too, her high cheekbones and sharp features giving her a savage but no less lovely beauty.

Hyuuga Kaminari was a vision in white, her dress big and pouffy, much like the pastries Tenten liked to eat on special occasions. She glided down the aisle, hardly sparing a glance at Tenten as she passed (though Tenten was certain she caught a bristle of anger from the woman, and revelled in it with spiteful glee), looking very much like a princess, or even a queen.

Before Tenten knew it the vows were being exchanged, Kaminari holding Neji's hands delicately, looking at him like he was the most wonderful thing in the world. And that was something, Tenten supposed. At least Kaminari would appreciate what she had, how lucky she was. At least she wouldn't take him for granted. But that didn't ease the burning in her eyes, nor the agonising throb of her heart. _I have to get out of here. I have to leave, right now. I'm sorry, Neji... it's just too hard._

"Speak now or forever hold your peace,"

Lord Hiashi's voice echoed throughout the hall, loud, ominous, and threatening – it was clear he expected anyone who wanted to live past today to 'hold their peace'. Hearing those words, something inside Tenten broke free. Something rebellious. Why _should_ she hold her peace? Just why _should_ she, when she'd never even been given a chance? Didn't she deserve to try? Didn't she deserve to put herself first, just for once? If Neji rejected her then at least she would _know _it wouldn't work, but could she really live with herself if she didn't so much as give it a shot?

No. No she could not.

So she stood. Amidst gasps of shock and looks of horror, Tenten stood, and she did it with pride. This, what she was doing right now, was braver than perhaps any act she'd committed in all her years of service to the leaf village. And when it was over, come what may, she would look back with no regrets.

"I have something to say," she begun, her voice strong with new-found determination.

"Sit _down_!" Lord Hiashi hissed, glaring. If looks could kill... well, Tenten was glad they couldn't, or she'd have died a hundred times over already.

Lee pulled gently at her hand, trying to make her sit, but she tugged free. "Let go Lee. This is something I have to do." she whispered to her team mate and friend, flicking him an apologetic glance. Then, looking the mighty clan leader right in the eye, she said, "I won't. I'm sorry, but I can't." She turned her attention to Neji, meeting his questioning gaze boldly. "Not until you've heard me out."

"This is an outrage!" Kaminari stormed, hatred plain on her face as she regarded Tenten with disgust. "Insolence! The audacity! My Lord, I demand she is removed from here at once!"

"I'll leave," Tenten yelled harshly, "when I'm finished talking." Her eyes never left Neji's, and in a softer voice she said, "Please, Neji. You have to hear me out."

"This farce has gone on long enough!" Hyuuga Hiashi bellowed, "You there! Shinobi! Get this woman out of my sight!"

All around her, Tenten's friends shuffled uncomfortably, torn between their bonds with _her_, and their sense of duty. All except Naruto, who made a snappy retort that sounded suspiciously like, "We don't take orders from _you,_ old man." Of course she couldn't be certain of his words, given that the guests had become a disorderly rabble of gossiping and opinionated whispering.

"No, Uncle." Neji interrupted, silencing the eruption of chatter throughout the room. Hiashi looked at him like he'd gone insane, a look Neji returned with his usual calm and composed façade. "I want to hear what she has to say." He nodded at Tenten. "Go on."

Swallowing, Tenten tried to find the words. Tried to find away to say everything she thought, everything she _felt_. There was so much she had to share with him – not all of it things she would want broadcast to a hall containing a hundred-plus people. What should she tell him? What should she keep to herself?

In the end she opted for the truth – the _whole_ truth. He deserved it, and it wasn't something she was ashamed of so why try to hide it?

"I could go on forever, " she started, voice quiet but without even a hint of weakness. "telling you all the things I've wanted to say since our genin days. But I won't. I won't because you don't _need_ to know any of those things – there's only one thing you need to know Neji, and the reason I'm telling you is so you'll know why I have to do what I plan to do."

Tenten took a deep breath to steady her nerves, her stare never deviating from Neji's handsome face even once. "I love you, Hyuuga Neji." she said at at last, an unexpected wave of relief washing over her. "I love you so much it actually hurts." She put her hand on her heart, as if to somehow soothe the torment taking place unseen beneath her skin.

Neji looked stunned. Positively speechless. In fact _everyone_ looked totally speechless, except for Kaminari, who just looked murderous. Rushing on before her courage, which was starting to wane, gave up on her, Tenten continued on to tell him her intentions. After all, what _real _hope did she have – had she ever had – of contending with the likes of Kaminari? With the words out in the open, and the reality of what she was up against in plain view, she had to accept that she and Neji just weren't a possibility.

"It hurts so much in fact, that I can't take it anymore. I'm not strong enough to sit here and watch you marry another girl, Neji. And I'm not strong enough to watch you build a happy life together with her. So... so I guess you could say my confession is a goodbye too. I've decided to join ANBU. Like all new ANBU my first assignment will be as part of the border guard, so I'll be gone months... maybe years. And when I come back, I promise I won't be the same girl you knew." She was practically whispering by the time she finished, tears she was too weak to hold back leaking freely down her cheeks. Tenten had always hated goodbyes, but this one was by far the most painful. Still, at least now he knew. At least now he wouldn't be left wondering, hurt and confused by her actions.

Neji frowned. "So let me see if I understand what you're saying, Tenten. You would have me choose between you and Kaminari?"

Tenten gaped openly at the suggestion. "No! No, Neji, don't ever think that! I just wanted you to know why I'm leaving. I didn't want to go without giving you a reasonable explanation."

"And the explanation is that you're running away because you don't want me to marry Kaminari. Am I wrong?"

"Well no, but-,"

"And do you deny that doing so would be effectively terminating our friendship?" he demanded.

Tenten winced. She felt that one all the way to her soul.

"I'm not saying I don't want to be your friend Neji. I _do_, more than anything." she croaked, her voice thick and pained. "But... I need time, okay? I need time to get over you. And... and it doesn't matter what you say... because I'm not changing my mind. Given the circumstances, I think it's unreasonable for you to expect me to. G...Goodbye, Neji."

And before anyone could stop her, Tenten fled from the room as fast as her chakra enhanced feet could carry her, ditching the heels when she nearly broke an ankle. It wasn't like it mattered... she wouldn't be needing heels where _she _was going anyway.

_I don't regret it, _she told herself as she sped past the gates of Konoha and deep into the woods._ I don't._ And it was absolutely true. It _hurt_ – probably would for quite some time. But she'd done the right thing. Whatever else happened, Tenten knew she'd done the right thing.

-X-


	4. Chapter 4

**Last chapter, and the fluffy, romantic ending you were all waiting for. I have to wonder though, what would you all have done if I'd decided to kill Tenten off or something like that? :P It would certainly make for an interesting twist. But fear not! I don't have the heart to do that in this little story – it needs a happy ending. ^_^**

**Hope you've all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.**

-X-

It was amazing really, how many weapons a skilled ninja could hide in a dress as apparently ill-suited to the job as Tenten wore. No self-respecting ninja was ever willingly unarmed, and Tenten had certainly never been so, not even in the safety of her own village. So when, an hour and a half after her episode at the wedding, she was found sitting in the midst of a weapon-riddled clearing, it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that she'd been packing well over a hundred and fifty various ninja tools.

Looking around forlornly at her scattered wares, Tenten sighed and rubbed the back of her neck tiredly. It wasn't unknown for her to work off steam by blasting inanimate objects with shuriken and the like – it actually worked quite well, having a sort of therapeutic effect on her that no amount of herbal tea or shiatsu could imitate – but the cleaning up afterwards was always a bother. Because now of course, being a perfectionist, she would have to clean and sharpen every single one of her used weapons. It didn't matter that the worst they'd hit was a rotting tree trunk by the stream; Tenten refused to use tools that were anything less than absolutely flawless.

She glanced down at her dress and noted that it was ruined beyond repair. The hem was stained with drying mud from her run through the woods, and there were little tears in the fabric where thorns had caught and dragged. However, she quickly decided she didn't care. It wasn't like she'd ever wear it again anyway, not after today. Too many memories, though whether good or bad she couldn't decide... She'd finally told Neji how she felt after all. But on the other hand she'd humiliated herself in front of a large audience. A _very_ large audience.

Sighing again, she reached out and plucked a firmly embedded shuriken from the trunk of the tree she was leaning against, relishing the feel of the cold steel against her fingers, letting it's harsh reality anchor her emotions. She'd be leaving in a week's time anyway. All she had to do was finish the paperwork and she'd officially be the newest ANBU member. A jounin as accomplished as her was hardly likely to be refused...

… She was going to miss them though. All of them. Lee, Hinata, Naruto, Sakura... _Neji_. She was going to miss everyone so much.

"It's for the best," she whispered to herself, spinning the shuriken around her finger. "Neji can get on with his marriage and I can get on with my life."

"Do you not think it will be a sad life with all your friends cut out of it?" asked a familiar and entirely unexpected voice. Tenten's head snapped up and sure enough, Neji was there.

_Of course he is. This is Neji we're talking about – he wouldn't let things end like that if his life depended on it._

Still dressed in his wedding attire, he was leaning against a kunai-studded tree on the far edge of the clearing, looking at her with a mixture of sadness and disappointment. Tenten felt acutely that he'd lost respect for her – she knew that her transfer was just 'running away' in his eyes. She felt her cheeks immediately redden in shame, even though she also knew she was doing the right thing – the decent thing – by giving him, and more importantly _herself_, some space.

"Look Neji, I've said all I have to say. If you've just come here to rub my face in it or to try and change my mind, I suggest you leave." she said shortly, heaving herself to her feet with a groan, her exhausted muscles complaining loudly. "Besides, don't you have a wife to be seeing to?" she added bitterly.

Neji ignored her, retorting with another question of his own. "You're really willing to seclude yourself, just because of me?"

Tenten didn't reply. She looked at him long and hard, meeting his alluring gaze with a carefully blank expression of her own. Then, slowly, she shook her head and went about collecting her weapons with deliberate care.

She'd thought he, of all people, would be able to understand her logic, given he was supposed to be a genius and all. Or maybe he _did_ understand. Maybe he was just being selfish. Maybe he wanted her to suffer for his sake, to endure so he wouldn't have to lose his best friend. That being the case, he wasn't half the man she'd thought he was.

"I thought you were stronger than that Tenten."

That was the last straw.

Whirling angrily, Tenten hurled a kunai straight at his face, which he dodged with little effort. His snide comment was the icing on the cake, and her already fragile composure snapped like brittle tinder. She could endure public disgrace; she could stomach losing the one she loved to a superior woman; but underhanded slurs about her strength was crossing the line. More infuriating still, Neji didn't even seem _surprised_ that she'd attacked him. If anything he looked smug, and for a second – just one tiny second – Tenten was glad she was leaving.

"Well guess what, almighty Hyuuga? I'm not! I'm weak and pathetic and an _idiot _for letting myself fall for an arrogant jerk like _you_! I admit it, okay? Are you happy now?" she exploded, her fury making her chakra spike in a beacon that surely the whole village could feel. "Just – just go."

She turned her back on him and started to reseal her weapons into her pocket-sized scroll, rage making her blood pump hot and fast through her veins.

"So that's it? You're just going to walk away? Forget all your friends and live the lonely life of an ANBU." Neji asked incredulously, still not moving any closer.

"You know, Neji... I don't think you really understand what it is you're asking me to do." Tenten said quietly, trying rein in her temper, collecting and sealing more weapons as she spoke. "Do you think it would be easier for me to stay than it would be to go? Do you think it's better for me to suffer here than suffer alone? Is that it?" When he didn't offer an answer she continued, angry tears welling because, damn her, she just couldn't stop them. "Well you're wrong, Neji. What you said before... you're right. I _am _willing to seclude myself because of you. Because it's too painful not to. Seeing you, with her... it's just too much. I can't... I can't do it. _Anything_ is better than watching you and Kaminari together – nothing could be as unbearable as that...

"So leave me alone; for goodness sake just leave me alone. Go back to your new wife. Enjoy your marriage. We'll see each other again some day, I promise you that. But right now, I need you to just leave me be."

Keeping her back to him as the tears brimmed over her lids, she continued her work so that he wouldn't see her cry. He'd seen her do it once today, and once was all he was getting. Even once was one time too many in Tenten's book.

She did look up however when she felt him approach her. She met his eyes and struggled for a moment to read what she saw in them, but only for a moment. Remembering her wet face, she abruptly turned away again, rubbing at her cheeks, irritated with herself, and with him, and with the world at large.

"I told you to-," she started, but was silenced by his lips on hers – a scenario so crazy, so _impossible,_ that for a moment she managed to convince herself she'd fallen asleep in the clearing and had dreamt the whole thing.

But she couldn't have. Because even in her most vivid dreams, Neji's lips had never felt so gentle and strong before. His hands as they gripped her upper arms had never been so desperate, nor the taste of him such a potent mixture of coffee and mint before – which was odd, because she'd never known Neji to drink coffee, or take mints for that matter.

In the initial confusion she kissed him back, mouth moving sensually against his, allowing his intoxicating presence to fill her up like a balloon. He was everything she wanted. Everything she _needed_. She knew then that even if she lived to be a thousand years old, there could never be another man to compare to Hyuuga Neji. He was too amazing. Too _god-like_. He didn't even fall under the same category as mere men, and she cursed the heavens that it was her unfortunate fate to be enslaved by his brilliance – she never stood a chance.

And then she remembered he was married. To Kaminari. And that his marriage was supposed to bridge the gap between the main and branch families, something that was obviously going to be impossible if he was caught cheating five minutes into wedlock.

So although it broke her heart all over again, she shoved him hard in the chest and crawled back several panicked feet, staring at him with wide brown eyes. Neji, to her shock, didn't look repentant at all. In fact he was _smirking_. He was actually _smirking _at her, one of those all-knowing smirks that used to drive her all kinds of crazy back in the day. It had been a while since she'd seen one, Neji having gained some rudimentary control over his ego since their genin days, but she wasn't surprised to find that it's effects were still as maddening as ever.

"You're married Neji!" she yelled, affronted, touching her lips in disbelief. "You're married and you're being unfaithful already!"

"Tenten, I-," Neji started, but she immediately cut him off.

"No!" she screeched, covering her ears, certain that whatever he could say in response to such an accusation wasn't something she wanted to hear. "I won't listen to any excuses. I'm a lot of messed up things Neji, but a mistress – at least _that_ type of mistress – isn't one of them!"

"I didn't marry Kaminari!" he shouted, scooting forward to grab her hands, holding them as she tried to retreat further.

Tenten refused to meet his eye. He was lying to her. He _had_ to be. No way would the Neji she knew defy his uncle for her sake. There was just no way. It was a trap.

"Tenten." he murmured gently, releasing her wrists to cup her face. "Tenten, look at me."

She tried to resist – honest she did – but there was no defying that silky voice of his. She looked up, eyes watery but absolutely _not_ crying – she wouldn't let him see her tears again, not if it killed her. She'd rather die than suffer that shame again.

"I did not marry Kaminari." Neji repeated, stroking her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "I couldn't, not after..." he trailed off. He didn't finish but Tenten knew what he meant – after the disaster she'd made of his wedding. He let out a long-suffering sigh. "Why didn't you tell me, Tenten? Why didn't you tell me how you felt sooner?"

She sniffed – a sarcastic sniff of course, not one of those pathetic girly sniffs. Tenten may be heartbroken, but she hadn't lost her pride. "It didn't exactly come up in day to day conversation, Neji," she said stiffly, frowning. "Can you imagine how you would have reacted? I didn't want to jeopardise our friendship. Then Kaminari came along," she snorted, a bitter edge to her voice that she didn't at all like. "and everything changed. The only reason I told you at all was because I knew I was going to lose you either way."

He couldn't seem to think of anything to say to that, so he simply said nothing. Long moments passed in silence between them, her face still cradled tenderly between Neji's calloused hands, before at last Tenten became aware of how close they were. Of how forbidden their current situation was. Because he may not be married to Kaminari yet, but she knew he soon would be. The wedding would be rearranged and things would ultimately work out the way they were destined to – with the pair of them taking separate paths from here on out.

Gradually, Tenten reached up and removed his hands from her face, pasting on a fake smile to make their second farewell that day more pleasant than their first. After all, she was certain that someday they would come together as friends again, when she eventually managed to outgrow her feelings for him. She wanted that day to be a happy one, not one haunted by cross words and hostile goodbyes.

"I'll miss you, you know." she told him conversationally, setting back about sealing the last of her used tools. "I'd say it's okay for you to write and tell me about your life with Kaminari, but... but honestly I'd rather you didn't. Sorry." she added hastily, turning back to him as she tucked her scroll back into the leg holster hidden under the silk of her dress. "But I think a clean break's best for both our sakes."

She treated him to her biggest, most fake smile, and held out her hand for what she knew would be their very last physical contact in months... maybe even years. If Kaminari had her way it would be forever. "So I guess this is goodbye, huh Neji?"

Neji didn't take her hand. He merely sighed, shaking his head as though she were missing something obvious – and important. "You really don't understand, do you?"

"Understand what?" she asked, confused.

"I didn't marry Kaminari. And I am not going to." he elaborated.

"Not... going to?" Tenten repeated, nonplussed. "But why? I thought your marriage was supposed to improve clan relations? I thought it was important that-,"

"It was." Neji interrupted, silencing her protests. "And I won't lie to you – my uncle is _not_ happy with my decision. But Hinata-sama is on my side, as is Hanabi-sama, and we believe there are other ways to achieve the same ends, without me having to marry someone I do not love."

"I... see." Tenten said slowly, but it was obvious to them both that she still wasn't quite following. Likely because it wasn't in her to allow herself that hope, and so instead of catching on she was simply denying it – letting his words wash over her without taking his meaning on board.

"Tenten, sometimes I think you're more oblivious than Lee." he groaned, pressing a palm to his temple in frustration. "I am not marrying Kaminari," he enunciated carefully, watching for her reaction. "because I am in love with _you_."

…

Tenten just stared at him, unable to comprehend the words that had just dropped from his mouth.

At her complete lack of reaction, Neji shook his head back and forth in exasperation. "Here." he smirked, catching her wrist and pulling her in close. "Let me show you."

Their second kiss was far more passionate than their first, and without the added pungency of Neji's desperation. This time he was slower, more deliberate in his movements, letting Tenten know exactly what his intentions were and giving her ample time to stop him – which she certainly did _not_. When he ran his tongue along her bottom lip she opened up without hesitation, shivering as he worked a magic in her soul she'd hitherto doubted could exist. Her own tongue slid to meet his eagerly, and as they battled for dominance she allowed the rest of her body to melt into his welcoming frame, wondering in broken, disjointed thoughts how she'd ever survived without him.

Tenten knew, in those few earth-shattering moments, that she was exactly where she belonged. She knew it like she'd never known anything else before, and she also knew that there was no way she'd have been able to stay away from him like she'd originally planned. The pull was too strong, she realised with despair.

And then, like the flipping of a switch, the reality of his words hit home and she grinned into the kiss, her stomach curling with excitement as a brand new thought entered her head. When Neji pulled back to examine her, trademark arrogant smirk pulling at his own features, she grinned even wider, leaning in close and placing lingering butterfly kisses over every inch of his face she could reach.

"I'm glad to see a _real_ smile on your face for once." Neji noted ironically, taking her hand and pressing his lips to her palm. "Can I ask what you find so amusing?"

Tenten beamed at him and stole a kiss from his lips, the knowledge that she could now do so whenever she liked making her feel giddy and light-headed.

"I'm just thinking." she smiled evasively, linking her arms around his waist. "Thinking about how lucky I am."

"Lucky, hm?" he chuckled.

"Yep." she confirmed, nodding, taking a strand of his long, black hair between her fingers and twisting it, relishing in the velvet feel of it against her skin. "Because you're _mine_ now." she breathed seductively, tugging his hair gently.

"Now, and forever." he agreed, leaning down to capture her lips for his own again.

With those sincere words Tenten's heart soared. It may not have happened the way she'd hoped it would, but finally, at long last, she had Hyuuga Neji for herself.

And come what may, she was _never_ letting him go.

-X-


End file.
